Direct Push Microsoft Exchange Update for Palm OS

Palm today announced availability of Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync Update for Palm OS devices for the Palm Treo 680 and Treo 700p smartphones. Palm OS based Treo smartphones have long been able to use Exchange ActiveSync to access Microsoft Exchange Server information using Palm's VersaMail email client. The new update enhances VersaMail by adding Microsoft's Direct Push Technology, which gives users connected to an Exchange Server fast, automatic wireless updates of email, calendar and contact information.

"Extending Microsoft's Direct Push Technology to the Palm OS based line of Treo smartphones gives business customers a powerful new choice for wireless email, security and manageability," said Joe Fabris, director of wireless solutions, at Palm, Inc. "This combination delivers the benefits of business-class email without the cost of additional infrastructure required by other middleware-based solutions, ensuring a fast return on investment as well as a great end-user experience."

Deploying wireless email continues to be a key initiative for companies around the world. By 2008, research firm Radicati Group estimates that nearly 90 percent of professionals will carry mobile devices capable of receiving email, and Gartner predicts that 50 percent of organizations with an Exchange Server in place will use its native support for mobile push email.

Also according to Gartner, Microsoft Exchange Server makes up more than 60 percent of the enterprise email server market. As such, there is a tremendous opportunity for companies to adopt Direct Push Technology and empower their mobile workforces with wireless email. In addition to providing a powerful email solution, the Exchange ActiveSync Update for Palm OS devices offers the following benefits:

  • Adds Direct Push Technology - Direct Push Technology gives users connected to an Exchange Server fast, automatic wireless updates of email, calendar and contact information (Exchange Server 2003 with SP2 or Exchange Server 2007).

  • Extends existing software and infrastructure - Wireless email using Direct Push Technology reduces the need for third-party software and infrastructure, thereby reducing cost, maintenance requirements and staffing needs. Companies now can use their existing infrastructures and servers to deliver Exchange Server information wirelessly simply by adding Treo smartphones.

  • Offers security and central management - Security features for IT administrators include over-the-air password policy enforcement and remote wipe for lost or stolen devices. Users also have the benefit of accessing their company's Global Address List (GAL) over-the-air, providing them with quick access to colleagues' contact information.

  • Installs easily - The update can be downloaded over-the-air for Treo 700p and Treo 680 customers, making it very easy for IT to deploy.

"Mobile users are increasingly demanding fast, automatic updates to email, calendar, and contacts. IT departments struggle to offer this productivity-enhancing capability to an ever-increasing number of workers in a cost-effective and secure manner," said Jeff Ressler, director of product management for Microsoft Exchange Server. "The addition of Direct Push Technology will help Palm's customers meet these growing user needs securely and cost-effectively by leveraging their existing, highly scalable Exchange Server infrastructure."

Exchange ActiveSync Update for Palm OS for the Treo 680 and Treo 700p complements Palm's Windows Mobile based Treo products -- the Treo 700w, Treo 700wx, and the recently announced Treo 750 -- which also offer the benefits noted above. Now businesses that run a mixture of Windows Mobile and Palm OS Treo smartphones can deliver the same Direct Push Technology experience to their users around the world.

The Exchange ActiveSync Update for Palm OS will be available Monday as a download at www.palm.com/easdownload.

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Can anyone find this?

honus @ 1/25/2007 2:41:40 PM # Q
The link redirects me to support and I don't see any mention of it there.

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Ah, now I see the Monday part

honus @ 1/25/2007 2:44:19 PM # Q
Duh.

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How does this compare vs. Blackberry?

Gekko @ 1/25/2007 3:35:00 PM # Q

Is this much cheaper yet just as good as the Blackberry solution???



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Disable Contact/Calendar sync?

jonecool @ 1/25/2007 4:14:55 PM # Q
Anyone know if it's possible to disable the Calendar/Contact sync to allow using this only for e-mail? My biggest gripe is that I don't want all my personal contact and Calendar info. PUSHED up to a corporate server.

RE: Disable Contact/Calendar sync?
dgalvin @ 1/25/2007 4:38:56 PM # Q
In the email preferences for the account, select the Autosync option and uncheck the Contacts and Calendar options.

RE: Disable Contact/Calendar sync?
jonecool @ 1/25/2007 5:01:07 PM # Q
In VersaMail v3.5.2 (on Treo 680) there is no such option. In the Options there is an AutoSync where you can enable/disable mail, contacts and calendar from Autosyncing. However, the first time you connect to the Exchange server ALL contacts and Calendar events sync to it regardless of the setting.

RE: Disable Contact/Calendar sync?
strivan21 @ 1/26/2008 6:01:40 PM # Q
Well I had some problems when we got the new 700p and 755p since our company uses ACT and Exchange ActiveSync. The problem being Exchange Active sync wanting to control Email, Contacts, and calender. So we just wanted the Email Sync'd via active sync which was working with the treo 650's we had. When we got the new 700p and 755p there were problems with the newer software. When we used the the new Palm 4.2 and latest version of Versamail companion link would just skip the sync of calendar and contacts. So I finally just tried installing the same older versions of Palm 4.1.4 and Versamail 3.1F that worked with the treo 650's and then used Companion Link for sync of calendar and contacts for ACT 2007 (chose treo 600/650 for companion link setup). This is working now, just get an error when sync'ng email that complains about problem sync'ng events which is fine.
RE: Disable Contact/Calendar sync?
drwiremore @ 4/22/2008 10:01:19 AM # Q
No. If you use Activesync, you can not disable contact and calendar sync with versamail. I tried for 7 days, 5 hrs a day, till the "dawn" hit me. Someone had decided at versamail that activesync is all or nothing. However, you can disable contact/calendar sync... I'll explain.

As written elsewhere: Your first sync will include contact/calendar/email. Palm then (on your behalf) disables the conduit to your desktop for both contact/calendar, believing you will use activesync for those. So, while you can disable contact/calendar sync with activesync... you can't restore it to your desktop.

I have discovered chattermail just yesterday; found two extra exchange plugins that are required, and overall, believe I've solved the problem. Given I took a shot at every email out there... so far, only Chattermail gives me what I wanted: email to pop/exchange; and leaving my calendar/contacts alone. Perfect would be dual calendars... one extra for active sync... but I can live with what I have. So far, chattermail is fantastic...

My opinion of course, your mileage may vary. dr

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No Treo 650?

airakli @ 1/26/2007 4:08:21 AM # Q
Pity it does not apply to my Treo 650. Let us hope somebody may hack it...

RE: No Treo 650?
Bluevoice @ 1/26/2007 4:29:53 AM # Q
It should also work on the Treo 650 if you have the latest VersaMail installed (version 3.5). You can buy VersaMail 3.5 here:

http://palminfocenter.palmgear.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=software.showsoftware&prodid=124074&PartnerREF=&siteid=118

Direct Push Microsoft Exchange Update for Palm OS comes as a Versamail 3.5 plugin so it should not be a problem on a Treo 650.

RE: No Treo 650?
magjm @ 1/26/2007 5:16:54 AM # Q
Will Palm fix the problem of the SSL certificate that is self signed rather than ones only issued by the large issuers like Versign? My organisation has it's own certificate that needs to be on the device before I can get any Exchange stuff going. It is not signed by Verisign or the drop list of other vendors.

Let's see if they actually do fix this !!

RE: No Treo 650?
egonzalez @ 1/27/2007 2:05:17 PM # Q
It doesn't run on the 650 with the VersaMail 3.5 upgrade installed. I downloaded the update and it came back with an error saying my device was not supported. Too Bad...
RE: No Treo 650?
johnahickman @ 2/5/2007 10:24:59 AM # Q
This issue you bring up can easily (and inexpensively) be resolved by purchasing an SSL Certificate from GoDaddy.com. It only costs $20 and they can help walk an relatively inexperienced IT person through requesting and installing the certificate. It was the first time I did it and it only took about 15 min from start to finish.

"Will Palm fix the problem of the SSL certificate that is self signed rather than ones only issued by the large issuers like Versign? My organisation has it's own certificate that needs to be on the device before I can get any Exchange stuff going. It is not signed by Verisign or the drop list of other vendors."

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Available now

honus @ 1/26/2007 11:25:46 AM # Q
The above link works now.

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Cingular

Rhauer @ 1/26/2007 12:35:59 PM # Q
On the Palm web site it says that this is not available to Cingular customers. Anybody know why?

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The Death of ChatterEmail

terrydavis @ 1/26/2007 1:18:32 PM # Q
Wow, this just about drives the stake the rest of the way through ChatterEmail's heart doesn't it? I mean Marc Blank can't seem to get the calendar, tasks, and contacts of his Exchange sync completed and VersaMail now has push built in for all of these. And VersaMail doesn's appear to eat away at the battery and CPU cycles in the out-of-control way that ChatterEmail does.

Yikes Marc.

RE: The Death of ChatterEmail
honus @ 1/26/2007 2:57:03 PM # Q
I'm using Versamail for my work email because I don't have much choice on the Palm, but it is still a crappy email client. Snapper and Chatter are much better and I only wish they could/would support ActiveSync.

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When will the add Tasks and Memo Sync

danmosk @ 1/27/2007 1:26:42 AM # Q
I don't see any mention of support for ActiveSync of Tasks and Memos a major limitation of Wireless ActiveSync. Anyone have a wireless work around for Tasks and Memos?

RE: When will the add Tasks and Memo Sync
iberkner @ 5/13/2008 9:35:02 PM # Q
This is insanity. I don't understand why they don't have tasks and memos synching up. I love VersaMail and ActiveSync, it's the only reason I pay for a hosted exchange account. If anyone could shed some light on this, it would be great.

Thanks

--

www.spellingcity.com

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Cingular Customer Support

bobfree @ 1/29/2007 8:36:59 AM # Q
What's the deal with no Cingular support - it must be due to their lame Xpress Mail that they want you to use. This just clinched my decision - I've been playing with a 680 (from Cingular) but I am taking it back today.

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